Glorious First of June
by peachpaige
Summary: Of course it's hard. We're not magic. Real people grind. It's not all happiness and roses all the time. This is the old fashioned way. The better way. It makes the good parts better. Special.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Glorious First of June(1)

* * *

**Prologue**

Breathe, breathe. In, out, in...move.

Keep moving.

It would all come to an end, eventually. There was only so much land to run on before she ran it out.

* * *

**Chapter 1: You Can't Have Everything...Where Would You Put It?**

The people of the Olympic Peninsula were enjoying a relatively pleasant day. There were clouds, always clouds but the temperature had risen above sixty-degrees and the humidity from the summer had eased. Fall had finally been accepted, though the students of the nearby schools would grumble and argue that point. The trees were inviting browns and oranges, their leaves still wet from an early morning shower.

A strange grouping of people gathered together for an afternoon. None of them looked alike, they couldn't be family. Some were tall and dark haired with copper skin, they were mixed with strange, pale beauties. But they all fit together, somehow. Most of the party was coupled, limbs wrapped around each other. They all offered each other sweet smiles freely, but certain looks were reserved for their lovers only.

Those single were all grouped together. Two males, all with rather uneven, butchered hair, as if they had done it themselves to just be done with the hassle. One was younger than the other, but not by much. They were both burly. They sat on either side of the one woman settled comfortably in the middle. The taller of the boys glanced at her every now and then, waiting for something. The younger was oblivious, happily munching on the chips in front of him.

The woman carried a stern look on her face, drooping her otherwise attractive face down. Dark eyebrows and a chiseled jaw made her position known: she was not to be trifled with and no one would be spared. Her body was hard and lean and she was by far the tallest and most commandeering of all the females.

She brought her foot to the bench and rested her chin on her knee. Rotating a chip between her fingers, she contemplated the forest, eyes searching it quickly – habit – before she popped the snack into her mouth, chewing slowly. One thing after another. Waking, eating, running, eating, sleeping, and repeat. Habits were the key.

Those not eating, nine in all, were focused on each other. The ones who did have an appetite were shoveling the barbecue in like it was the first they'd eaten in days. They all joked, conversed, and teased. It made her uninhibited side flinch, and she considered throwing a sarcastic remark to them, just to see how it would be accepted. But that would be a shame, she could admit to herself. She didn't want to ruin anything for the people she cared about. Especially not with the beautiful day surrounding them.

It wasn't so bad, really, she thought as she watched every one else around the long picnic table. Bearable was the right word. She wasn't going to internally combust from the strain of it; it just burned a little.

"Hey Leah, pass the Doritos."

"Hm." Leah agreed, tossing the bag easily to the boy on her left, her brother, Seth.

He caught them easily enough with his index finger and thumb, but his eyes narrowed and he tilted his head. She caught the look and raised her own eyebrows, as if asking, What?

His own answering shrug was nonchalant, only a concern. Just worried, it implied.

Leah sighed. If Seth was noticing, then everyone else certainly had. He was the most ignorant...No, that wasn't fair. He was her only ally, really, in the band of sickening couples around her.

Guilt, again...

One of the pale beauties turned his attention to her for just a moment.

She groaned internally. _Stay out of my head_, she warned, glaring daggers at him.

He simply looked back to Bella without so much as a raised eyebrow. Leah turned her eyes back down to the unfinished food on the plate in front of her. She half-heartedly moved the chips around with her index finger, but she felt an overwhelming loss of appetite. She was mooching the happiness from everyone, sucking it right out of the air around them.

Again, that pull. It twinged at the strangest of times, and today the guilt that it induced was making it more difficult than ever. Her jealousy, the simple word for the more complex feeling she was experiencing, was overactive today. Why couldn't it be like a light switch? Why was she wired this way?

"Lee, we're going for a run, wanna?" a deep male voice asked from her right, snapping her out of her brooding.

Leah looked around the man to her right, over at Quil, and a slow smile spread over her lips. "Ready to eat dirt again so soon?"

"I don't think he could eat much more, best take it easy on him." the boy said in his gentle tone patting Quil, his buddy, on the back.

Quil looked affronted and said, "Why, thanks, Em. You're a real encouragement."

Embry just smiled into the lid of his coke while he took a long, leisurely drink. Leah watched the liquid slide down his throat, seeing his adam apple pulse as it slid past. She turned her eyes away quickly before anyone could notice her attention had been kept.

"You coming Embry?" she asked him, friendly enough, though it seemed a bit forced.

"Uh...yeah, sure." He said nonchalantly.

Her eyes narrowed just a fraction but she shrugged and grinned at Quil. She slid from the bench, her knees bumping both men on either side of her. Because really, they were men. She could think of them as boys as long as she wanted, but things changed no matter what...

Leah didn't bother to apologize for kneeing either in the stomach and instead began to jog to the tree-line. Beneath her feet, soggy twigs groaned but refused to break. The leaves barely made a noise, almost disintegrating in their saturated form.

"Wait until I shift!"

She ran in human form until she was in the underbrush, throwing off her clothes, letting them fall where they would. Naked, she could feel the wet muck beneath her bare feet. It felt good, like home. Then, she felt the quick change, the sickening satisfaction of her bones and skin melding into something new. It took only a few seconds for her pack-mates, her brothers, to find her. They hadn't waited long before tearing after her. She could see their clothes already on the ground behind them.

She swayed back and forth, light on her feet as a wolf. She didn't wait long for them to become settled before she took off, always needing that first burst of speed, always needing to be first out of the gate. Leah moved so quickly her feet looked as though they weren't making contact with the ground.

We aren't racing! Quil's thoughts strained, as he tried to keep up with the wolf in front of him.

Leah's silent laugh ran through the group, the giddy anticipation that made it way up her spine quickly spread to them.

It's always a race with this one, thought Embry. She couldn't tell if he was being smart with her, or just trying to lighten the mood. Either way, the hair on the back of her neck bristled. Instead of snapping like her instincts begged her to, she simply scoffed.

You're all just a little too slow. And by a little, I mean lot.

With a rush of strength, Leah flew forward. She gasped as she landed and sped ahead, feeling the pounding paws behind her. Far behind. She was flying.

* * *

(1) Glorious First of June - Naval battle of June 1, 1795 between Britain and France. The British fleet defeated the French fleet, but French convoy got through. Both sides claimed victory.

**A/N:** *looks at the Brave Boy story guiltily* I know, I know! Ugh, I feel horrible. I have chapter completed but somehow my muse is kaput. Perhaps it will return. For now, here is a story I've had sitting in my computer for about a year. There will be more updates, I just don't know how long this will end up being.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Glorious First of June

* * *

**Chapter 2:** It's Too Bad Atomic Warfare Isn't Portable

Everyone thinks they are special. Small things _make_ people feel special: a pat on the back or a friendly smile can send the human imagination spinning into the clouds.

For example, a lady in the grocery store almost squeals with joy when a lane happens to open up believes that it opened up _because_ of her. She will spill her groceries everywhere and blubber constantly at how she has perfect timing. In reality, a slow day and an an over-staffed local mart isn't that big of a push for fate. A teenager with a new phone, car, new anything absolutely knows they are the only one to have it or to to appreciate it. Until, of course, the new Blackberry drops on the driveway and mom's suburban makes it into scrap metal.

Everyone thinks they are special. In some cases, it happens to be true. These instances are rare and highly exciting. Geniuses are born every day right along side the beauty queens and future winner's of the Pulitzer Prize. In Leah Clearwater's case, she was never going to win a Nobel, a Pulitzer, or a tiara. It was hard enough to reach Employee of the Month status at her current place of employment that she couldn't even comprehend winning anything of the sort. Not that she tried, of course. The sounds of un-oiled, squeaky carts were enough to drive any sane person crazy within a matter of moments. That is, if the crazies didn't get to a cashier first. Only those who, in her opinion, were stupid enough to believe they were getting a great honor won Employee of the Month. Leah knew her station. She was at the bottom of the barrel, the dullest blade in the tool shed, the ugliest crayon in the box, etc..

All Leah could do was hope no one would decide that register 7 was for them today, even though it was like a FREE BEER sign, all illuminated and happy looking amongst the other dark, empty lanes around her. 1-6 and 7-9 were closed. Only Linda, down on lane 10, and Sunshine, on 11, were also open for customers. They conversed with each other from their stations, happily ignoring the dark skinned, angry girl on the opposite end of the store. Their hair was curled and fluffed up like they had never left the '80s. In fact, they hadn't. Sunshine was now 36 - probably going to be a life-time cashier. Linda was well into 60s and her rough voice was the after-effect of a lifetime of smoking. Most of the time the customers asked her how long she had had strep-throat.

Leah felt no sense of alienation from the two of them. She would have preferred it this way usually, if it wasn't for the obviousness of her OPEN status. Today there were so few other lit stations around her that the customers were drawn like moths to the first available and convenient register. Instead, 7 sat right next to the ice and cigarettes, a staple for the citizens of Forks. In the last hour, however, she had served only one person. A grungy looking man who hadn't answered her greeting and had paid with a debit card. Her favorite kind of customer. Limited interaction, no time for bullshit. It was the nice-looking people you had to look out for: the women in pants up to their armpits and sweaters with cats on them. Or the men wearing short sleeved button up shirts with pocket protectors. Those were the dangerous people. They didn't hesitate to call Allen, the manager, and complain that the little "brown girl" on aisle 7 was "completely rude". They were the ones who decided she needed a date that night.

Ugh.

Her eyes rolled to the right when she caught sight of a woman came down her lane.

High-waisted pants. Pediatric shoes. A large tabby right in the middle of her puke green sweater.

"This thing hardly ever happens, does it! And in this grocery store, to ME! It must be my lucky day. I was doing something right!"

Leah's lips spread into a thin smile. She wished, just for once, she had the right to punch someone in the face. But Allen's wary eyes told her she was one step away from being cut loose. College called her name...and her wallet. So she winced at the woman's nasally tone - she wished she could genuinely offer a tissue. She curved this, knowing the offer would probably come out something like: Ma'am, here's a tissue: blow your fucking nose.

"Musta been." she murmured, low so the woman couldn't hear her disdainful tone.

"Oh, you just looked like you want something to do, and here I am!" her excitement made the lady's over-sized chest heave.

Clearing her throat and grinning again, Leah grabbed the woman's package of ground beef, exercising an unprecedented amount of self control as she managed not to crush it between her fingers. She attempted to run the barcode over the scanner. It beeped at her like an accusation and she simply shoved it inside one of the plastic sacks as nicely as her temper could handle. From then on, everything felt sticky and uncooperative. The woman was oblivious, still marveling in her luck at the quick transaction.

She handed over a check, having took an inordinate amount of time to cross her 'T's' and dot her 'I's'. Her handwriting was loopy and childish, clashing well with the teddy bear background. Well, thought Leah, stereotypes had to come from somewhere...

The expected annoyances, such as the jammed receipt tape or the broken change drawer, were no source of torment to Leah anymore. She patiently replaced the paper or coaxed the drawer opened. For the woman, it took three times to get her check through, but she assured the customer as best as she could: "It happens all the time, it us, not you."

Allen was satisfied with this response.

That was false, of course. The woman had chosen just the right thickness of checks to upset the system. She had crossed her 'T's' a little to widely, or something.

Leah found a way to make it through each shift. The clock was against her; it always seemed to be on the store's time when she was there and not her own. Everything in her life seemed to be like that, anymore. Nothing was on her own terms.

Everyone thinks they are special. It was just that in Leah Clearwater's case, no one was ever going to know.

* * *

The sound of teenage laughter wasn't particularly new or peculiar, but it was unwanted. Brats who were high on their superiority complexes were a daily nuisance. Leah pondered getting out her spray water bottle, used to clean the conveyor belt, and starting a little target practice.

When she listened a little more closely, she realized it might not be teenagers. The voices were male, deep but their tone was immature. Leah's eyes widened and then narrowed dangerously. They wouldn't. She had specifically warned them to avoid this place on her shifts. Oh, there would be hell to pay when she got home...

"Leah!"

She winced as the dead silent store filled with her name. It rang and echoed around in the most obnoxious way possible. Linda and Sunshine both bristled, turning on the offensive noise. Their lips were contorted in sneers, eyebrows raised haughtily. They turned their attention from the bouncing boy-man barreling down the front of the store to Leah, accusing stares making her face flush hot in anger.

Mind your own business, bitches, she thought, giving them a look. They just looked affronted and went back to talking, now in a whisper.

"LEAH!"

With a deep breath, she turned her attention to her brother. "Seth, it's not like you were quiet the first time. I heard you."

"Sorry. Look, I know you said we weren't supposed to come during your shift but-"

"We, who's we?"

"Oh, Embry drove. Anyway, we need to pick up-"

"Embry drove? What did you hold on for dear life on the back of his bike?"

"He just got done tinkering with this engine. Something about headers or...I dunno. Anyway, mom told us to pick up a few groceries. Where's the baking powder? Oh, and bread crumbs, we were supposed to pick up bread crumbs."

Leah sighed and pointed toward aisle 2 and then 9.

"Ah, gotcha. Then there was something else..."

Seth put his hands to his head, pushing together as if he could squeeze the information from his memory. Leah watched, glancing over at Allen, who was looking more curious by the second. Leah had never really given much thought to being the perfect employee, but she did need to keep her job...

"Look, Seth, I'm working so I really don't think -"

"I know, there's just something...I think it was lemons. Do you have your cellphone? You could call mom."

Leah's eyes widened, "No, Seth, I couldn't. You need to-"

"It was mustard, Seth." a low voice cut in.

"Ah! I knew it was something yellow. Thanks Em, be right back!" he barreled off, almost knocking over a newspaper stand. He gave a breathless laugh, making sure to steady the rack before continuing down aisle 2. Leah rolled her eyes over to Embry, exhausted with her brother.

"No problem." Embry said quietly, sticking his hands in his pockets as soon as Leah caught sight of him standing just off to the side.

"Sorry, your mom said - "

"I got it all from Sparky, there" she said curtly, pretending to punch something into the cash register.

"Oh." said Embry, frowning. He bit the inside of his cheek, looking around at the walls, all of which had large pictures of fresh produce and fried chicken. Nothing to look at at all, really. They stood there for a few moments, in awkward silence. Leah was toying with the buttons of the belt and pretending to not care.

"Hey," he said suddenly, "did I...I dunno...do anything?"

Leah looked surprised at the sudden and blunt question, her finger freezing on the belt button.

"Do anything? What do you mean?" she asked nonchalantly even though she knew perfectly well what he was thinking. Thing had been weird. At the picnic she had been short and cross with Embry. Only him. But she wasn't angry, there was no reason for there to be; nothing explosive had happened. However, in the last couple of weeks something had changed. It was almost unnoticed. Maybe it had to do with autumn coming on. A seasonal change, like allergies. It was just a glitch in the otherwise normal system. Day in and day out with the boys just being interrupted by some hormonal imbalance. That had to be it.

Or maybe it was the dreams...

"I dunno, you...you just seem like you're angry with me." Embry said sheepishly. He definitely did not want to be talking about this. Talking with Leah about anything resembling emotions had gotten the boys into trouble more than once.

"You would have known if I was angry with you Em." Leah answered bluntly. She wanted this conversation to be over as well.

"So you're not?" He looked skeptical, playing with the packets of gum and the canisters of mints, only glancing at her once or twice a minute.

"I'm not." she assured him.

He seemed to ponder this for a moment, "Oh..." but then he accepted it and nodded. Boys were too easy sometimes. "Sooo, wanna watch a movie with me and the guys tonight?" he quickly changed subjects, on to something more general neutral.

"The guys...as in who?"

"Quil, me, Seth...that's it."

It was Leah's turn to look skeptical. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"Look if Sam - "

Embry interrupted, "All the suckered ones, except Quil, of course, aren't coming. Aren't invited." He clarified.

Leah's eyebrows rose in surprise at this change in the rules, "Sure...okay. What are we watching?"

Embry shrugged, "Something gory, I'm sure - "

"Got it!" Seth came around the corner, emptying his arms on the register.

Leah lost her focus, glancing over at her brother before looking back and nodding, "Sure, I'll be there."

"Great." Embry, "around nine."

"Nine, got it." Leah said, pushing her brother's groceries across the scanner. They went with ease, without a hitch.

"You comin' tonight Lee?!" Seth asked, looking excited.

She nodded, smiling slightly. Embry bit the inside of his cheek, hiding his smile. He felt strangely happy that Leah was coming. Something was definitely up, but he couldn't put his finger on it and if she wasn't talking then nothing was wrong. Leah would have told him, he was sure. But still...

"Alright, now get out of here." Leah said to Seth, handing over his sack. "Tell mom I'll be home in an hour."

Seth nodded, obligingly enthusiastic about everything. He gave her a large grin and waved as they walked out, "'Bye Lee!"

Embry nodded toward her and followed Seth out, swinging his keys in his hands. Leah took a deep breath, tapping her fingers in a wave on the counter. That had been awkward for her, at least. Embry was much more perceptive than any of the other boys. He always had been, so she should have known. Still, when even _she_ didn't really know what was going on with her emotions lately it was weird to see that he could pick up on something different. Or maybe he just noticed that it was around him that she acted different.

There had been that dream. The one where she was running, hard, through the forest. That part hadn't been strange, she was always running in her dreams. Her paws were hardly touching the forest floor but then suddenly she stopped. Trees surrounded her like thick walls of green, effectively trapping her. She stepped forward but stopped suddenly when she heard a sound to her left. Her snout turned, lip curling back and teeth appearing. She didn't like to be caught off guard.

Out of the darkness stepped Embry, in human form. His eyes looked right at her - right _through_ her. Dream-Leah relaxed when she realized it was just Embry, but then she comprehended the look he was giving her. It was strange. Then, all of a sudden, she wasn't wolf anymore. She was Leah, naked and bare in front of Embry. This wasn't like in real life, where they all averted their eyes and searched for the nearest article of clothing. Embry let his eyes trail down her neck, to her shoulders, her bare arms, her stomach, her thighs...She could see every bit of herself reflected in his deep eyes. She shuddered but found that she couldn't look away from his eyes.

He took a step forward, towards her -

Leah had woken there - the covers wrapped around her legs, sweat beading at her brow, her chest heaving. She had rolled over to her side, staring at the wall across the room. The next day had been the picnic...and Leah couldn't look at Embry for more than a few seconds. If she didn't glance at him then her gaze would linger for minutes. He had caught her once, raising an eyebrow. She had simply shrugged and looked away, suppressing it into the deepest corners of her brain. She was amazed she had kept it from them all for this long. It had slowly become easier for them all to mask their thoughts, at least for a short period of time. Then, truly, she forgot every now and then...but someday she would slip and her stomach was in knots every time she thought about that.

Leah didn't try to decipher the dream. She chalked it up to girly-wolf hormones running wild and Embry was the only one unattached and unrelated in the group. That was a simple explanation. It kept her imagination from running away with her and she hadn't dreamed of him since. She was simply lonely and needed to build up a resistance to that loneliness.

Tonight would be a good test and with the other around, she couldn't get in much trouble. A mindless, easy movie. Easy.

Since when was anything with them every easy?

* * *

A/N: Reviews appreciated! Thanks everyone who has reviewed so far. I'm glad your enjoying it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Glorious First of June

* * *

**Chapter 3: If You Knew What You Were Doing, You'd Probably Be Bored**

"Film spectators are quiet vampires." - Jim Morrison

* * *

After her shift, Leah ran home on foot. Linda and Sunshine's heads followed her progress as she sprinted down the sidewalk. The large glass windows in the front of the store looked out to the street in front and were a perfect observation point. The two dumpy women looked out the window as long as would allow. Their necks craned like peckish birds hungry for a morsel of scandal. Sunshine sneered, turning away from the window and back to her register. She popped her gun, her long fingernails hitting a few buttons out of habit.

Her thoughts were written on her face: That girl was so weird. Cars were NOT that hard to come by.

Leah huffed steadily, her lungs taking in massive amounts of oxygen and using it up just as quick as she could take it in. It was quiet out and it felt good to hear the air fly down her throat.

Running in human form had taken some time to get used to. Before that first shift she hadn't been fan of jogging. Sure, she'd grown up around boys, playing basketball and soccer. She'd had to be in good condition to keep up with the little shits, but just taking off for the hell of it was a waste of time. When she'd turned, running had been an easy escape. Sam hadn't ever pulled Alpha on her running away in wolf form. But then it turned out she couldn't escape - the voices were still in her head. Wolf form had sometimes been too much, too noisy, and too crowded. And walking was too slow.

As a human runner she felt slow and sluggish anyway, at least compared to her other form. Her heart pounded against her ribs in a different way and she had to fight to control her breathing. Cramps were frequent if she fell out of rhythm, the heat of her body burning her muscles if she went too hard. Still, it was pleasurable. The sweat that accumulated after a hard run would wash away in the most satisfying way. And it took a very long run to sweat as much as she liked.

* * *

Leah could hear her mother call to her as she bounded up the stairs, not stopping to respond. She only yelled, "Hey Mom!" and sprinted, breathing hard. As soon as she was in her room she ripped off her uniform; khaki pants and the red t-shirt, underarms stained with sweat spots. Her name badge went flying off into the corner. She would find it later. She didn't care much at the moment.

In the flurry of movement she stopped suddenly. She stared at her reflection in the little mirror that hung next to her dresser.

Her hair was wild around her head and was stuck in sweaty clumps to her neck after she had ripped the tie from her hair. It also lay with the badge somewhere in the depths of her room. Her eyes lingered in the mirror. She stared at herself, eyes flickering down lean muscles, small breasts, large hips. I'm a fricken pear, she thought viciously. She turned from the mirror, digging through her drawers, finding the holiest and most comfortable pair of jeans and t-shirt to then throw on the bed. She whipped her hair around to one shoulder and pushed it from her face. It definitely needed to be cut, she was becoming too shaggy.

She looked in the mirror again and sighed, disgusted with herself. In her opinion, more than one glance in the mirror was pure narcissism. She hesitated from turning but finally tore herself away.

"Hey Ma." she murmured to her mother, as she bounded into the kitchen, her skin still wet from her shower. Her mother was bent over the stove, checking something - something that smelled wonderful.

Leah almost groaned, trying to peer around her, "I'm starving."

"What else is new?" Sue Clearwater said, grinning at her daughter. "How was work?"

"Fine." Leah responded.

This was the well rehearsed dialogue between Sue and Leah. Since graduation, since Charlie. Not that Leah minded Charlie. She liked him, even. But liking someone when they're the sheriff of the local town and liking someone when they decide to date your mother is completely different.

Things were always changing. Her mother needed him. But didn't Leah need her mother?

Maybe not so much anymore.

"That's good." Sue said with a quick smile before going back to her cooking, breaking up a head of lettuce into a large bowl.

"Yup." Leah said with a nod, looking around the kitchen.

"It'll be ready in about ten minutes. You can go in the living room. That's where the boys are."

"That's okay." Leah grabbed the stacked plates and silverware on the counter, moving to the table to set the table.

Sue frowned for a moment and then decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and allowed Leah to set the table in peace. It was a change, at least this was silent interaction rather than none at all. She watched her daughter as she leaned over the flatware and set it neatly in place.

"You okay?" she asked suddenly and almost regretted it. This would change the calm dynamic of the room.

Leah sighed and looked over at her mother, "Seth put you up to this?"

"Seth?" Sue asked, eyebrows raising. "What's wrong with you and Seth?"

"Nothing." Leah said quickly, shaking her head and going back to the table, "Nothing at all. I'm fine."

Sue narrowed her eyes but decided to let it go, "Okay." and reached back into the oven and pulling out the casserole.

"I'm fine…" Leah muttered to herself, sighing.

* * *

Leah shoved in between Quil and pushed Seth away so she could have some more room. "Ladies get the best seat."

"Who said!" Seth cried, his baby face pouting hard.

"I did."

"Who said you were a lady?" Quil muttered, moving to the edge of the couch.

Seth crossed his hands over his chest and stood, moving from the couch to the chair. "Fine, I'll sit over here then."

Colin and Brady snickered from their place on the love seat, earning a death glare from Seth. They were outranked by him, the youngest in the pack. Their grins widened at Seth's reaction but they didn't dare say anything. They were still new, still adjusting to the new friends they were forced into. They were past the initial resentment of the forced situation. All the wolves were family, all bound by something that wasn't their fault, but bound anyways. Even if it all came to an abrupt stop they would probably still gravitate toward each other.

This stop was, hopefully, coming soon. The Cullens would be leaving. They had been stalled in Forks for a little while, deciding when and how to move on. Leah didn't know their plans for sure, didn't really care, honestly. But she was curious to see what would happen to the wolves once they did. Would they revert back to regular humans? She didn't know if she could stop being the wolf - or if she wanted to.

But these were heavy thoughts in the wrong place; surrounded by the adolescent frenzy of the males around her.

"More room for me." Leah said, kicking up her legs, leaning against a pillow.

Quil glanced over with one eyebrow raised, "Thanks, but as much as I want your feet on me, I'll move to the floor." he said, slipping off the couch and settling with a pillow in front of the TV.

"Um, I'm going to need some room." Embry said from behind and above them, sounding amused.

"Hmm..." Leah pondered seriously, looking over the arm rest and around the room. She looked back up to Embry with an purely innocent face. "The floor next to Quil?" she suggested.

"Ha, funny." He said and moved around the couch. He threw her feet off which she simply propped back up on his lap. He gave her a look but didn't bother to move them.

"So what are we watching?"

"It's called _Face Punch_, but we need popcorn." Seth answered from the floor. He was on his stomach, inserting the DVD into the player, "and I'm not it."

"Not it!""Not!""Not me!""Nope!"

"N-" Leah sighed, not even bothering to finish the word. She was too late anyway. She slid up from her seat. "I will kill anyone I find sitting here when I get back." she warned, glaring at Quil and then back to Embry.

"I'll help." he answered, standing and throwing the remote to Seth.

"Hurry up." ordered Quil.

"You can go ahead and start it. It won't take that much time and I don't think we'll miss any hugely important plot points."

"Suit yourself." Quil shrugged, aiming the remote at the DVD player.

* * *

Leah threw the popcorn bag into the microwave and hit the 'popcorn' button, turning away as soon as the plate in the bottom began to rotate. She raised an eyebrow at Embry.

"I know how to make popcorn, you know." She crossed her arms over her chest and smiling friendly, enough, at him.

"Hmm?" he asked, looking up from the fridge. "Oh, I know. I just wanted to get a soda."

"Right." she answered back, turning to glance at the expanding bag. She was waiting for any sign of burning. That was the worst smell to get away from - well, maybe second behind the too-sweet, rotten tomato smell of the vampires.

Embry ran the can between his palms, feeling the condensation instantly form and cover his hands with wet coldness. He observed Leah from here, tilting his head slightly. His skin felt burnt, like he'd been out in the sun too long. He would chalk it up to the contrast of the cold soda in his hands but, to be honest with himself, it was this way a lot more lately. It was like something was changing inside him, something slow like lava but no less significant.

"So…" he said slowly and she cocked one eyebrow and didn't bother to say anything back to him.

He let out a low, breathy laugh and sighed. "So, where are you going to school then, next year?" he asked, "Back to Peninsula?"

She shrugged and popped open the microwave, smelling that the popcorn was ready. She silently went to the cupboards, knowing them as well as her own, and pulled out a large, stainless steel bowl, setting it next to the microwave. Gingerly and with the tips of her fingers, she pulled at the edges of the popcorn, feeling the steam hit her in the face. It was nice. Things rarely felt warm anymore to her overly heated body.

"You should at least think about out of state or something."

"Hmm, I'll think about it."

"Think faster." He shot back with a grin and finally popped open the soda. Leah felt her muscles tense as he stepped near. His arm appeared in her peripherals and he reached into the bowl, his nose having led him to the popcorn. Out of the instinct of self-preservation she turned so he didn't have her trapped against the counter, not that that had been his intention…she didn't think. She looked up at him with a hard expression as he stuffed the kernels into his mouth. It made him look like a chipmunk, but she still wasn't amused

"Look, Embry, you can't just order me around, alright?" Her tone was suddenly annoyed and tense and she batted his hand away from the bowl.

"Oh, don't be a baby. You can handle it." He pushed on her softly with his shoulder, nudging her over so he could attempt another grab at the food.

The touch made her muscles convulse and she cleared her throat, taking a step away from him. He gave her a curious look. What was up?

She let out a breathy laugh, the tension gone as soon as it had appeared and she hugged the bowl to her chest, "Look, as soon as you decide on a college. I will. And believe me, it'll be half way across the country from you." she gave a slight smile and nudged him back before slipping around him, leaving nothing but air in front of him and the sweet musky smell of whatever soap or perfume she used. He frowned and followed after, deciding he wouldn't dwell on whatever weirdness was making itself as clear as mud between them.

* * *

The muscles beneath the soft skin of her arm rippled as his fingers slid over her bicep. Her skins as smoother than he thought it would be and full beneath his fingers. She came off as hard and angular but underneath that exterior was something ample and -

Embry sat straight up in bed, his massive chest heaving. He looked around wildly for a moment before realizing he was in his bed, alone. One hand shakily reached up, brushing aside the short bangs that stuck to his head. Sweat covered his body and he pushed the sheets down his legs and threw his legs over the side. He let his hand sweep through his hair again, a nervous habit. His hand went to the bed, both arms holding his body steady. He stared off into the dark of his room, his eyes adjusting easily.

This new dream had been interesting, to say the least, and he felt his cheeks flushing with the memory of it.

Leah. Naked.

He growled deep in his chest and stood as if trying to shake off the images. It made him...well, he wasn't sure about just where his feelings were at the moment. He didn't cringe at the idea but the thought made his skin prickle in an unusual way. He sighed as he rubbed his shoulder and walked to the bathroom.

Embry turned on the light, wincing at the sudden brightness. The faucet brought cool, relieving water that he splashed on his face, taking a deep breath to steady himself. When he looked at in the mirror, he winced. Lately he had looked a little worse for wear. He wasn't sleeping a whole hell of a lot, especially when Leah seemed to be popping up in his dreams every few days.

The first had been just ridiculous and weird. They had been playing Twister with the rest of the pack - but on a mountaintop - which made it a bit more difficult that just regular Twister. Then, there were the ones where it was just Leah. Leah in a starring role. Sometimes, he didn't even have a part in them and there was nothing overtly sexual or weird about those. She was working at the grocery store, eating cereal, and other mundane tasks that had no rhyme or reason. They didn't come regularly, didn't follow a story arch, and sometimes he didn't even remember what they were. They hardly made the top 30 things that were important to him, nor did he really take any clue as to what they were. Most of the pack had dreams about each other. They were all so interconnected and close that it was hard not to. So, Embry never thought about them enough for the pack to even take notice.

This one, though, had been different.

He felt the water dry quickly on his skin, the heat from his body burning it into steam quickly. He ran a hand through his hair yet again and stood straight, looking at himself once more in the mirror before clicking off the light. They had to stop at some point. Maybe it was the food he ate before he went to bed - he had heard that could cause dreams. However, as he settled back down onto the pillow, staring up at his smooth, white ceiling, he couldn't help feeling like they wouldn't stop.

This innate, instinctual knowledge that the dreams wouldn't stop was so similar to the feelings he had been having, that slow simmering feeling almost like he was being cooked alive. Similar to what a hot dog must feel on a turning spit in a gas station. He grinned at the thought of that, but concentrated on his body the next moment, his face smooth and blank.

Nothing. It would come and go, like a fever. He could feel his body relaxing back into the depths of sleep and he turned on his side, looking at the posters on his wall before letting his eyes close. He would endeavor to never think about Leah that way again, and not let the 'hot flashes' get to him. He grinned, again, at the nickname he had come up with. He would simply think of himself as a 20-year-old menopausal woman. He shuddered and closed his eyes tighter. No. He wouldn't think that way. That was a massive change and he didn't want to do any changing. He was content with where he was at right this moment.

He forced himself to be calm and to forget the weird dreams and changes as he drifted back to sleep.

* * *

A/N: This has been a long time coming. I've been writing/tweaking/coming up with ideas all for the past however many months. Finally, here's the third chapter. I hope you're all happy with it, let me know what you think and where you see it going! I loooovveeee theories.


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